My HI Life: October 2018

Hi everyone,

Having a consistent self-care routine is a must for anyone studying abroad, and in today's post I wanted to share with you all how I've been staying sane while abroad. It's required some patience on my end, but I know that without following this strict routine that I would likely be stressed out and looking a hot mess. Without further ado, here is how a typical day of self-care (abroad) looks like:

What is critical is having a solid, daily routine. Every morning I wake up at the same time, 6am, and immediately wash my face. I may not want to, but I know that its something I need to do to wake myself up and get started on my day. The farther into this semester I get the harder it seems to be to pull myself out of bed, but once I'm through washing I already feel better.

After washing my face I slip my feet into my slippers and make my way to my desk, where I spend the next hour watching news, reality tv, and even some of my favorite youtubers (Was anyone else obsessed with Shane Dawson's series?). This relaxes me but also preps me for the day. It's an integral part of my morning because I give myself that much-needed time to unwind and decompress before hitting the ground running.

The rest of the day is spent in class and out and about in the city. However, the latter part of my self-care comes in the form of my nightly routine. I know, I talk about this a lot, but I truly believe that this nightly routine has left me less stressed and more relaxed.

After my shower I spend some time lounging in my silk robe and doing anything from nose sheets to applying serum. After waking up early and spending all day out and about, taking an hour out of my day to care for my face makes all the difference. I end my night by wearing an eye mask with a cooling pack inside, which helps my eyes de-puff and also allows the products on my face to absorb better. Trust me, nothing keeps my under-eye bags away like some good eye cream and a cooling eye mask!

If you're someone not into skincare, here are three other ways I prioritize self-care in my life:

1. Take time to treat myself. I love bargaining, and I like to treat myself every so often with a trip to AP Plaza, where I got my silk robe.

2. Drinking enough water. This is extremely important and I've found that by using different methods (games, different bottles, or even using tea sometimes to supplement water) I am able to trick myself into drinking more each day

3. Walking at least ten thousands steps each day, not so I can hit my daily goal but so that I can donate the steps on WeChat to a charity of choice.

What do you think? Let me know down below what self care tricks you practiced while abroad!

Until next time,

October 30, 2018 No comments

Hello everyone,

Two months ago if you sat me down and told me everything I would run into while in China I probably would have responded with a laugh and a roll of my eyes. However, it's been 6 weeks since I arrived and I still trip up over some of these cultural differences. I wish someone had told me about these differences, as it would have made life here so much easier in the beginning. Whether you're studying abroad in China in the coming months, or just curious, here are some of the biggest cultural differences you'll notice, as an American, studying abroad in China.

Temperature is in Celsius

This was a huge shock to me, mainly due to the fact that I had completely forgotten that every other country but the USA uses the metric system. Trust me, nothing freaks you out more than waking up and seeing the weather outside is 25 degrees in the middle of September.

Measurements are in meters

Again, one of those 'only in America' moments was when I was in class learning the vocab and my teacher told us how tall she is in centimeters. She proceeded to ask the rest of the class how tall we were, and it was only then that I had to ask, "But how tall are you?" To her surprise, and to everyone else's "Ahh, that's right. She's American.", she had to teach me the conversion rate between a foot and a centimeter. On the bright side after 8 weeks I won't need to tell people how tall I am in centimeters anymore.

Street fashion is real and quite popular

For some odd reason, everyone in China follows their own rule when it comes to fashion. From my perspective, it appears that people here don't care about whether or not the clothes match but rather, do the clothes suit them. This means you'll see girls with shoes that don't match their pants, shirts that hang out below their skirts (while tucked in), and expensive looking accessories that you can't tell are real or not because you've never seen the brand in real life. It's made me realize that the emphasis placed on fashion and cohesiveness is an American thing, and yet somehow the Chinese people still pull off this lack of.

Chinglish will never make sense, and even when it does it doesn't

Finding signs with an attempt at English is funny, but there is a whole other level of comedy when it comes to fashion and accessories that try and employ the use of the English language. As a foreigner in China, there is a certain joy in seeing English on objects or clothing. Sometimes its funny, other times its just plain confusing. Either way, you're going to be amused.

School in China is nothing like school in the United States

Now, granted I knew that schooling in the two countries was different, but I didn't know just how different it would be. Classes are taught using only the textbook and creativity is not encouraged inside the Chines classroom. In America, creativity and independence is stressed, whereas in China I've noticed that everyone is taught the same way and that learning is very much the same. Conformity is very much prevalent in the classroom!

With all of this being said, I still find myself more and more comfortable here as the days pass. Have you ever been to China? What were things no one told you about that you wish you had known?

Until next time,

October 25, 2018 2 comments

Hi everyone,

It seems that every post I've been writing has something to do with me never staying put! I apologize for that, but with so much beauty and history to be found, it's hard not to travel all across China!

This past weekend I went to Nanjing. It's about an hour and a half from Shanghai by speed train, and I enjoyed getting the chance to leave campus for a little bit. Sometimes the hustle and bustle of the city can leave you feeling drained and less enthusiastic about your time here, so I try and leave Shanghai every so often so that I can come back feeling refreshed.

Nanjing is home to countless important events in Chinese history. For starters, Nanjing (meaning 'southern city') used to be China's capital. Here is where you can find the tombs of the Ming Emperor, Hongwu, the founder of the Ming Dynasty himself. Interestingly enough, Chinese emperors had to pick their burial site early into their time as ruler. In this case, the emperor chose to be laid to rest in the mountainside. What makes these ruins even more special are the 12 distinct statues marking the way to his site; they ranged from guards to various animals. Animals included are: lions, camels, elephants, turtles, horses, xiezhi, and qilin. Xiezhi and Qilin are two legendary animals/beings that are only found in East Asian countries. They have a similar appearance, but their functions are different. For instance, Qilin are hooved animals that appear before the passing of a ruler, while Xiezhi had the ability to determine which party is guilty during a trial or affair. However, the overall meaning behind this is that each animal will protect the king, and each figure will guard and lead him as he enters the afterlife. If that wasn't interesting enough, keep in mind that this tomb was built in the 14th century, meaning that for 600 years this area has stood strong and remained in amazing condition. Understanding the time period can most certainly attest to the incredible craftsmanship of this time.

Another event significant to Nanjing is the Nanjing Massacre. Back in my freshmen year of college I wrote a paper on the Nanjing Massacre and talked about my questions and concerns regarding Chinese and Japanese relations. I won't go into the detail of my paper, but I wanted to spend some time sharing my experience at the memorial. This event greatly impacted Chinese and Japanese relations and, to this day, there is still some animosity towards the other country.

The difference between a memorial in America and a memorial in China is that, in America, we tend to be more reserved and "toned down", as I like to call it. However, in China, the Nanjing Memorial was extremely detailed, and very blunt. Out front of the memorial is a giant statue of a crying mother holding her dying child. If that doesn't make you aware of what you're walking into, I don't know what will.

The memorial is much larger on the inside than it looks on the outside, which is hard to believe considering everything you read and see. The Chinese did not hold back in making this memorial. Expect to see various statues, poetry depicting attacks from the perspective of the Chinese. I was amazed at how much information was portrayed, and come the end of it felt very much confused as to why events such as these are not often talked about in American schools. I won't go into the details, but I believe it is important to know this much: From December of 1937 to January of 1938 China was attacked by the Japanese in an effort to take control of China. The government ended up actually leaving the city to operate on their own, and one of the most impactful sections was the internationally organized "safe zone", something I was not aware of before this memorial. However, that aside, the mass murder, rape, and crime against the Chinese from the Japanese soldiers left the total death count at an estimated 300,000 people. There is no way to know the accurate number, but it should be known that the Japanese government has never apologized for this event and they believe the actual number is closer to 20-40,000 people. After this event, the capital was then moved to Beijing, but this does not mean that Nanjing recovered quickly. In fact, the city took decades to recover from this attack.

I did not take any pictures at this memorial due to me wanting to be as respectful as possible. I did, however, take one picture of the total death count. This number can be seen everywhere, and I felt like this was the only appropriate thing to take a picture of.

In addition to visiting such scenic sites, I also had the privilege to go to Nanjing Fuzimiao. Fuzimiao is a Confucian temple built next to the Qinhuai River. Here is where there is a scenic riverwalk, with the option to take a boat ride throughout the river. Also found here is one of the temples where Confucius was worshiped and an enshrined.

In addition to there being temples, there is also the Jiangnan Imperial Hall, where many Chinese men would take the royal examination. Those taking the exam had the potential to enter as farmers and leave as government officials; it was that serious.

Both of these locations are very near one another, and it makes for a very convenient way to appreciate Nanjing history as well as enjoy local food and culture.

Door with a red seal inviting good luck on the outside of it

Wall art of two playing children

Wall art of cherry blossoms

Wall art of women with umbrella

Also worth mentioning are some smaller activities, including visiting Nanjing University, Laomendong, and trying some local foods. If you've ever been to China, or are familiar with Chinese food, you are well aware that there is no piece of the animal that goes to waste. This weekend I got to try ducks blood, supposedly good for the heart and lungs due to the fact that it gets rid of toxins in the body. I have no idea if this is true or not, so I didn't exactly fill my bowl. I did, however, try some, so I can at least say that I've done that.

Nanjing University building

Overall, my stay was short but the impression left on me was enough to make me want to go back. There is something alluring and inviting about a slower pace of life in China, and I couldn't help but feel sad leaving the city. Shanghai is where you would go to work, but Nanjing is where you would go and live. Does that make sense? I hope it does.

Would you ever visit Nanjing? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time,

October 23, 2018 No comments

October 18, 2018 No comments

Hey everyone,

This weekend I had the opportunity to go with 50 other students from my university to the neighboring province of Zhejiang. Here is where we will spend time learning about traditional Chinese culture and take time to enjoy a more rural part of China.

The first day was on the 28th of September. After boarding the tour busses, the 50 of us going all left at 9:30. Surprisingly, it took about 2 and a half hours before we arrived at our first stop: Hangzhou Bay Wetland Park.

Hangzhou Bay Wetland Park was where we were treated to lunch and Shaoxing Opera. The opera style is very unique. Many people were playing instruments and the focus was only on two of the performers. They were both dressed in colorful, bright clothing. The Bay was huge, and we got to see quite a bit of it as we walked through. There were various animals, like alpacas, as well as giant birds. There were a handful of families throughout the Bay, but I think with how hot it was more people opted to stay inside.

After the Hangzhou Bay Wetland Park we made our way over to dinner, where we had 45 minutes to eat, and then quickly sped off to Carnival de Nice.

The Carnival was an event. The purpose is to blend Chinese and European culture into a fun night and it ended up being a gigantic parade with animatronic floats, dancing people in costumes, and much more. It was loud. It was bright. It was something I don't think I will ever experience again in my lifetime. It truly encompasses the meaning of, "You just had to be there."

After that we finally got to rest. By this time it was late into the day and pushing midnight, and we had just checked into the Westin.

Saturday began bright and early at 7:30, where breakfast would be served until 8:30. Our meeting time was immediately after breakfast, where we would board the buses and head off to our next destination.

Since we would be leaving mid-day today, much of our activities were right after one another, meaning we would be quite rushed throughout them all. Once leaving the hotel we would immediately go to the Tianyi Pavillion and then head to Xikou.

The Tianyi Pavilion is the oldest existing library in China, having started during the Ming Dynasty. Today, the Pavilion is well kept and still operates using the original architecture. It was well worth the early drive over, as the Pavilion had few people there when we arrived. I was surprised at how nice everything looked as well as how well preserved much of the documents were. It's hard to believe that such an area once housed 70,000 books. After some theft, the library lost about 50,000 books, but today now boasts approximately 30,000. Still, the documents and books that you can see are incredible. Much of the writing is very clear, and the condition of the pieces makes it rather easy to read. Additional points to note are the mahjong room, garden, and the ancestral center.

Xikou is our last stop in Ningbo. We were told we would go and see one of the Buddha's in the mountain, but I had no idea the actual size until we got there. One of the five sacred Chinese mountains in Buddhism is Xuedou Mountain. Here is where one will find a giant, 200 foot tall copper laughing Buddha, as well as an impeccable view of the Chinese architecture. This Buddha is the largest one of its kind in the world, and If you're lucky, you may see some monks during prayer, as I was able to witness some walking around the base of the Buddha and hear them saying their prayer. To get to the Buddha you will have to ascend 300 steps, and once at the top you can pay an additional 20 yuan to take an elevator from the bottom of the Buddha to the middle, where you can then walk around the front of the body and see a more ariel view of the land. From here you can also touch the feet of the Buddha.

Getting the opportunity to leave campus for the weekend and see a place other than Shanghai was a decision I do not regret making. Through Ningbo, I got to see a part of China that I've never seen before. I got to see more of rural China, less consumed by goods and materials. I got to see history from a new point of view, and the history of people from a lesser known area. I got to see the giant Buddha in one of the holiest sites in Buddhism, and not to mention in a beautiful mountain. I often say that China is the perfect detox; it puts into perspective what really matters. If you are in the area and are close, go to Zhejiang, go to Ningbo. It will give you a breath of fresh air that the city of Shanghai lacks. It is well worth the visit.

Where are you hoping I go next? Let me know in the comments and, as always,

Until next time.

October 16, 2018 No comments

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